Hypersonic ballistic missile hits Dnipro, Ukraine: Putin says it was ‘combat testing’ to show they can hit anywhere with nuclear warheads. What it means

The Russia-Ukraine war has been creating concerns of a potential nuclear escalation since the day it started. The outgoing US President allowing Ukraine to fire American-supplied long-range missiles into Russian territory, barely weeks before he has to vacate his office for a new President, had effectively taken the war closer to becoming a nuclear conflict.

In what would be the first use of such a potent nuclear-capable weapon in the more than 1,000-day war Ukraine Air Force claimed on Thursday (21st November) that Russia had fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) towards the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, responded to the Ukrainian Air Force’s allegations by saying that Russia launched a hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile attack on a Ukrainian military installation, demonstrating Moscow’s capacity to target any nation whose armed forces were used against Russia.

President Putin said, “In response to the use of American and British long-range weapons, on November 21 of this year, the Russian armed forces launched a combined strike on one of the facilities of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine. In combat conditions, one of the newest Russian medium-range missile systems was tested, among other things. In this case, with a ballistic missile in a nuclear-free hypersonic equipment.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the use of the new missile “a clear and severe escalation” in the war and demanded strong global condemnation. According to one US official quoted by Reuters, Russia warned Washington right before the strike, while another said the US had briefed Kyiv and allies on the possibility of using such a weapon.

Ukraine first suggested that Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, a weapon designed for long-range nuclear strikes that had never been used in warfare. However, US authorities and NATO confirmed Putin’s classification of the weapon as an intermediate-range ballistic missile with a lesser range of 3,000-5,500 kilometres (1,860-3,415 miles).

Earlier this week, Ukraine fired 6 missiles into Russian territory. As per the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine fired six US-made ATACMS missiles at Russia’s Bryansk region. It was followed by British Storm Shadow missiles. The Ministry further stated that the Russian military shot down five Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, and damaged one more. This came after US President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to fire American-made missiles supplied to the East European country into Russia. Russia had said that Ukraine’s use of the ATACMS, the longest-range missiles supplied by Washington, was a clear indication that the West intended to intensify the conflict.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, reacting to the development, said that the United States is “throwing oil on the fire” with the decision. Accusing outgoing President Joe Biden of increasing tensions with this decision, Peskov said, “If such a decision has been taken, it means a whole new spiral of tension and a whole new situation with regard to US involvement in this conflict”. Peskov also said that such a decision by the Biden administration signals NATO’s direct involvement in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Hypersonic missile strike on Dnipro: What it means

The Russia-Ukraine war has been creating concerns of a potential nuclear escalation since the day it started. The outgoing US President allowing Ukraine to fire American-supplied long-range missiles into Russian territory, barely weeks before he has to vacate his office for a new President, had effectively taken the war closer to becoming a nuclear conflict. Russia responded soon after with a major change in its nuclear doctrine, including a clause that would allow it to attack non-nuclear nations with nuclear weapons.

Visuals of the recent hypersonic missile attack on Dnipro show multiple hits and blasts. As per Putin’s press briefing, it was the latest Oreshnik missile system that Russia used for ‘combat testing’ on Ukraine, displaying that they are capable of hitting anywhere in Ukraine with nuclear weapons and they have a missile system that can evade the defence systems deployed in Ukraine. They are not officially NATO defence systems, but they have been supplied by NATO nations. Plainly speaking, Putin meant that the Oreshnik did not contain a nuclear warhead this time, but it could have. This was Russia demonstrating that they are capable of hitting Ukraine, or any other European capital, with nuclear warheads.

Videos of the blast on Dnipro showed multiple strikes. Reuters quoted Oslo-based missile tech expert Fabian Hoffman saying that the multiple strikes mean the missile was carrying MIRVed(Multiple Independently targetable Re-entry Vehicle) payload. The payload is exclusively associated with nuclear missiles. Ukrainian airforce has reported that the missile originated from Astrakhan in Russia, 700 km away from Dnipro.

The recent escalations, triggered by the Biden administration, also mean that when Donald Trump assumes office, he will have a difficult time to fulfill his promise of stopping the war. Trump has vocally criticised the relentless spending of US taxpayers’ dollars for sending military aid to Ukraine and fuelling a war.